Oh no! This week’s gaming news is very late, I personally blame the Polyhedron Collider Christmas party and that bottle of Babycham that Steve was drinking.

Don’t worry though, because we’ve got more new games than you can shake a stick of holly at, including Harry Potter, Power Grid and King Arthur. We also hear about Games Workshop’s profits and board game theme parks.

Andy is back and finished his house move, and so we are back in action with 300% more waffle. Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter D, as Andy explores Deep Sea Adventure, Steve becomes a grizzled Detective and Jon gives us an update on our Dungeons and Dragons campaigns.

Our news ferret tells us about the latest game from Stonemeier and Frosty the Snow Lich. We also sort through the mailbag, and discuss Paul Grogan’s itch, using cardboard as currency and our top tips for miniature painting.

Dragonmeet is always a special con for me, at the end of the year, shortly before my birthday, where I get to play a bunch of games and see lovely boardgame folk that I don't get to normally. The atmosphere is always so relaxed and so casual that you feel you have time and space to chat and to really browse all that this mini-con has to offer. Having said that, I always leave the con wishing I had seen and done more.

Christmas must be coming, because Hellboy is dressed as Santa! And that also means the news is coming, with a sack bursting with board game goodness.

We’ve got the designer of one of the best stealth board games working on one of the most famous stealth video games, a new legacy game, secret agents, stained glass windows and a humble bundle full of digital board games.

You move slowly through the Necromancer’s dungeon, carefully peering around every corner and treading as deftly as you can manage so as not to make a sound. The paladin, weighed down by full plate armour and a sword larger than the party’s halfling, trips on a discarded candelabra. The clattering noise echoes off the carved stone walls, answered by the hiss of evil, several green glowing eyes staring at you in the dark and a hulking beast made of sewn together body parts lumbers towards you.

I always thought that many mainstream board games are shit. Well I wasn't wrong, because apparently they are now award winning shit.

But don't let the family board game industry get you down becuase we've got some proper exciting real news, like a big tease from Stonemaier Games and so really cool news about Board & Dice and NSKN merging.

Andy is busy moving house, or playing Deep Madness in any empty flat, so it’s just Jon and Steve on this episode and subsequently proceedings are much more relaxed. Pour yourself a drink (we recommend a nice dark beer to sip on) and get cosy as Jon and Steve take you through the latest news, visit Dinosaur Island and delve deep into Dungeons of Plunder.

We also answer questions from the mailbag, which all seem to be directed at Andy – d’oh!

Would you believe that it is actually snowing outside, in Birmingham, in November? Madness! That means that <northern accent>Winter is coming</northern accent>, but don’t worry as we have enough board game news to keep you safe and warm in the long cold week ahead.

We’ve got falling share prices, games based on TV shows and films, films based on games and an expansion announcement for a game that hasn’t even been released yet.

I am of the belief that there is simply no such thing as a completely
objective review, especially when it comes to board games. No matter how
hard a reviewer tries, their prejudices and tastes will influence their
opinion of a game. I say this because I absolutely adore Neuroshima
Hex, it is easily one of my top ten board games of all time, and I think
you should be aware of this before I start talking about Monolith
Arena, a sequel/remix of the original hex based tile laying battle game.

So
if, like me, you are already a fan of Michał Oracz's game, here’s the
short review; Monolith Arena is bloody brilliant and you should go buy
it.

No doubt most of you will be wanting a bit more depth to a review, however, so here goes.